Women in Microbial Physiology and Metabolism: 2023

Book excerpt: After the well-received 2022 collection, Frontiers in Microbiology is proud to host this Research Topic celebrating women’s work and achievements in the field of Microbial Physiology and Metabolism. Alongside International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month 2023, we will collectively embrace equity in the microbiology community. There is continued gender disparity within core STEM subjects. According to UNESCO Institute for Statistics, just 33% of the world's researchers are women. While the number of women attending university is growing, they still represent the minority of doctoral students and researchers. Women remain under-represented in the highest level of academia, holding just 26% of full professorships. This is even more skewed in industry with just 3% of STEM industry CEOs being women. As highlighted by UNESCO, science and gender equality are essential to ensure sustainable development.